ELDERLY residents at a retirement complex in the Forest say they "don’t know what to do" about wild boar causing damage to their gardens which they’re unable to get out and repair.

Residents at Willowdean Sheltered Housing in Cinderford are calling for the relevant authorities to take action to stop the boar, which have ripped up their gardens as well as several grass verges near the pensioners’ complex in recent weeks.

One Willowdean resident, Cathleen Barnfield, says the hungry boar have "ruined" lawned areas at the site and have been tearing through people’s rubbish bins, leaving litter strewn about outside their homes.

Cathleen says many of the elderly residents are not in a position to get out and repair the damage themselves, and are pleading with the authorities to help them keep the boar out.

Cathleen said: "We don’t know what to do really.

"We’re all elderly people around here in our 70s and 80s, some are 90 odd and we’re not in a position to get out and do anything about it.

"Everyone’s been warned not to leave their rubbish out, but some have and the bags have been ripped to shreds by the next morning.

"Where we live is open plan, so they’ve been able to get into people’s gardens and a lot of them have been ruined.

"I don’t blame the boar, they’re just out looking for food, but something needs to be done to stop them causing havoc. We need someone to come out and put a fence up or something like that to stop them coming in.

"This has happened before and for most us, when our gardens are ripped up we’re not able to get out and put them back."

A spokesperson for Two Rivers Housing, which manages the site, said: "We are aware of the damage caused by boar at our HomePlus scheme in Willowdean.

"Our Scheme Co-ordinator has been out to the site and raised a job with our repairs team to assess the damage and check the boundary for any weak points where boar may have accessed the site.

"Unfortunately, the site has two gated access points, which are used by the general public.

"If these are not closed, the boar could gain access to the site through them. So, we would like to ask anyone using these gates to ensure that these are closed to help avoid further damage to the site."

Forestry England (FE) has offered advice on steps that residents and land owners can take to protect their property during the period from late summer through to the autumn, when the boar venture out of the woods in search of a different food source.

A spokesperson for FE said the activity is triggered by the softening of the ground, and that the boar will root grassland areas where there is a large amount of insect activity in the soil, frequently re-visiting sites that have provided a good food source in the past.

They said: "Residents and land owners can help protect their property by adequately fencing, if areas are unable to be fenced residents can help by not putting out food for birds or other wild animals.

"This attracts numerous animals to feed in one place and can spread diseases."